Studies of beginning reading sponsored by the U.S. Office of Education indicate that teachers, not methods, account for the major differences in the results of instruction and that reading instruction can be improved via combinations of methods. Consequently, teachers should be free to select materials and methods most appropriate for children for whom they are responsible. In planning instruction so that the child's reading development phases with his over-all development, the teacher should keep several basic considerations in mind: (1) Development and maintenance of a positive self-image are vital to the child's academic growth as well as to his personality development. (2) Children differ in their preferred sensory modes of learning. (3) Programmed materials do not provide opportunities for a child to question, share ideas, react to situations, or test ideas on others. (4) Some research indicates that differences in interest patterns are more important to reading development than those of age, sex, intelligence, or reading achievement. Providing properly for that difference involves both presenting materials which match the child's interests and those capable of broadening and advancing them. (Author/RD)